


Love in the Shadows

by SalazarTipton



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: College AU, Cooking, Drabble Collection, F/F, F/M, Gen, Holidays, M/M, Tumblr Prompt, meet cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 16:13:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10166861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalazarTipton/pseuds/SalazarTipton
Summary: Collection of my Shadowhunter Tumblr prompts and drabbles. Each section is labeled for the pairing, prompt, and/or summary. I'm always accepting more prompts either here or ontumblr!





	1. Hey, have you seen the…? Oh.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hey, have you seen the…? Oh." + jimon for softdaddario

Simon knew he left his glasses somewhere. Yeah, he didn’t need them anymore, but they felt like the last piece of who he was. Last he knew, he’d had them in their case when he was in Clary’s room earlier. 

He’d searched all through it much to her displeasure. She helped looking, but when nothing turned up, she bid him on his way so she could get back to whatever important shadowhunter thing she was doing. She didn’t tell Simon as much anymore. 

Backtracking his steps, he looked around the training room, his chamber, Isabelle’s room, and still they didn’t turn up. He tried to tell himself to just calm down. They’re just glasses that he didn’t even need to see. At this point, they were simply a trinket from, what, his childhood? His  _ life _ ? 

During his search it grew later and later into the night. As he moved from room to room looking, he met less and less people as shifts changed and most the shadowhunters went to bed. The low hum of soldierly productivity died down leaving an eerie stillness to the winding halls. Though Simon could hear something not too far away he never expected in the Institute: music. 

He pushed the thought away for after he found his glasses. He wanted to check Jace’s room and then the library. If they weren’t there, he didn’t know what he’d do. There wasn’t anywhere left to look. 

Simon turned down the hall and peered under Jace’s door. Thankfully the light was still on. He knocked once, but didn’t hear anything in response besides that music still playing. Simon tried the handle, turned it, and opened the door. 

“Hey, have you seen the…? Oh,” Simon said the last part in a whisper. 

Before him was Jace sitting at the bench of the piano in the back corner of the room. Simon didn’t know Jace played and he was floored at the discovery. There was no way Jace didn’t hear him, but he continued to play the melancholy tune. 

Simon gently settled himself on the edge of Jace’s bed to listen. He closed his eyes and let the music wash over him. He could feel the confusion and longing in the notes. Jace played with his soul in the music. 

Jace let the final note hang in the air before he spun around to face Simon who still had his eyes closed, processing what he’d heard. 

“I didn’t know you played,” Simon said with his eyes still shut. 

Jace stood and walked over to the bed. “Uh, yeah. I don’t do it often, but...it helps. I guess.”

“We should jam sometime. I haven’t had a chance to play since the whole dying thing,” Simon said. 

He opened his eyes and took in the man in front of him. Jace was turned in on himself. All the false bravado he wore as a cloak wasn’t anywhere in sight. 

“Thanks for letting me listen.”

“As if there was any way to stop you with that ultra hearing,” Jace mused. It still looked wore and exposed, but a smile quirked up the edge of his lips. “What were you looking for anyway? ‘Have you seen the…?’”

“Oh, it’s stupid. I can’t find my glasses. I know I don’t need them, but--” 

Jace leaned over to his nightstand and picked up the glasses case that was sitting under his lamp. “You don’t need to explain it to me.” He lifted up Simon’s hand and pressed it into his palm. “Anything else I can do for you?”

Simon’s mind was blank, but mingling in the very back were whispers of many things Jace could do for him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments (kudos are grealty appreciated). I'm always accepting prompts over on tumblr: [achilleanragnor](http://achilleanragnor.tumblr.com/).


	2. malec waking up together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> malec waking up together for anon

Magnus looked over to the clock and smiled. They still had a bit longer to sleep in. He brushed his hand over Alec’s, where it rested on Magnus’ hip. They’d both had a long night and fell into bed ready for deep, uninterrupted sleep. 

He carefully lifted up Alec’s arm to scoot out of the bed, but it latched on tighter and pulled Magnus’ back flush against his front and nuzzled his nose against his shoulder. 

“No,” Alec mumbled, voice still full of sleep. 

Magnus twined their fingers and kissed Alec’s knucles softly. 

“Go back to sleep, Alexander. I’ll be back in a moment.”

He tried to get up again, but Alec whined and pulled him closer again. Magnus sighed around his grin. 

“I’ll bring coffee with me?”

Alec refused to let him go until Chairman Meow sauntered up the length of the bed and took Magnus’ spot from him when he wiggled far enough away from Alec. The sleepy shadowhunter curled an arm around the cat instead and relaxed against his pillow. 

The sight made Magnus want to laugh and cry. It was the cutest thing he’d seen Alec do in a long time, but it also hit him straight in the center of his throat causing his throat to clench. Alec looked so a ease, so at peace nestled in his bed with his cat–like he belonged there, with Magnus. 

He shock himself out of the thought, took a picture of the two of them, and walked out of the room to go make coffee. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments (kudos are grealty appreciated). I'm always accepting prompts over on tumblr: [itsragnorfell](http://itsragnorfell.tumblr.com/).


	3. Everything’s going to be fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> clizzy and “Everything’s going to be fine.“ for softdaddario

Clary slips her phone back into her pocket as she walks into the kitchen. There stands Isabelle with an apron and hair up in a haphazard bun with flyaways framing her pouting face. She looks wholly mussed–necklace swung around backwards, flour clinging to the tops of her toes and her left cheek, specks of batter on her forearms and neck.

“Need some help?” Clary says with an amused smile.

Isabelle looks up from the mixing bowl and lets out a huffy sigh.

“This was supposed to be easy! I just did as it said, but then it all just–”

“Hey,” Clary tries to sooth. She walks over to her and tucks some of the flyaways behind Isabelle’s ear before kissing her flour-free cheek. “Everything’s going to be fine. Let’s just start over and do it together, okay?”

Isabelle tries to stop the soft smile from gracing her lips unsuccessfully. She nods and hands the box of pancake mix over to Clary.

Clary cracks the eggs and shows how to prevent the shells from making it into the mix. Isabelle watches how she moves and listens to Clary’s instructions and stories from when her mom and Luke taught her how to cook carefully. She doesn’t want to miss a thing.

Isabelle ladles the first pancake out in a oval in the pan. Clary urges her on when she gets worried.

Together, they flip the first pancake with it almost intact.

“Dammit, it’s all funny-shaped now.”

“The first one always is. It’ll still taste good though.”

Clary pours some syrup into a small bowl, tears off a bit of the pancake, dips, and offers it to Isabelle.

“Chef gets the first taste,” she says.

“If anyone here’s the chef, it’s you. I’m just the assistant,” Isabelle says, but still takes a bit of the offered pancake.

“You’re the one in the apron, looking the part,” Clary counters.

She dips the pancake again and takes a bite of her own. Once she’s swallowed it, she leans in to kiss Isabelle softly.

“Mmm, sweet.” 

Instead of making to the table to eat their pancakes, they eat them as soon as they’re out of the pan, feeding them to each other and taking turns flipping over the next one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments (kudos are grealty appreciated). I'm always accepting prompts over on tumblr: [itsragnorfell](http://itsragnorfell.tumblr.com/).


	4. Jimon + Getting to Know Each Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jimon maybe going on a date/hanging out and just getting to know each other better -anon

Jace was regretting this decision. Since he'd pulled out the sword and Simon became a daylighter--no, even before then, things had been all wrong. He was practically pushed out of his only real home to go live with his brother’s boyfriend, learned he was more than just shadowhunter part angel, and killed innocent people when he was just trying to save others. 

 

He'd figured...we'll, now he couldn't quite remember his reasoning for bringing Simon along for this bite-sized mission. Jace just knew past him had some terrible decision making skills. 

 

“You know, this whole vampire and shadowhunter patrol thing kinda makes us like Buffy and Spike,” Simon talked away. “Though only one of us is blond and I'm not about to start trying a British accent.”

 

“Well, that's a relief,” Jace commented, not that he really knew what Simon was even saying anyway.

 

“I’d say you’d make a good Buffy, but I’d be lying. Isabelle, on the other hand, would totally have it down: girl power, badass, style,” Simon went on. 

 

“Hey, I’m pretty damn badass,” Jace defended, though he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t even know what they were talking about. “And I have style.”

 

Simon shook his head with a smirk. “Sorry, dude. You’re pretty, but your style screams wannabe badass.”

 

“Wannabe? I could take you right--Wait, did you just call me pretty?” Jace stopped to ask mid sentence. For the first time during this excursion, Simon was silent. Jace stopped dead in his tracks which forced Simon to stop a few feet ahead of him. 

 

“I don’t know where we're going so, you kinda need to lead. Don’t we have important shadowhunter business to attend to or something?” Simon said. He motioned for Jace to keep moving, in hopes his slip-up would be swept under the rug, but no such luck. 

 

“I mean, I know I’m pretty. The whole world knows I’m pretty, but I never expected to hear it from you as well,” Jace said with pointed steps toward Simon. 

 

“Don’t push your luck. Cockiness is the biggest turn off.”  _ Dammit! _

 

Jace stopped well within the comfortable, New Yorker personal bubble standard. “There’s a difference between cockiness and self-awareness.” 

 

“Please,” Simon scoffed. He turned and continued down what he assumed was their path. “You’re all talk.”

 

Jace caught up to him with a quick few steps to continue on their mission. Simon, for once, was thankful for the newfound silence, thought Jace was not. He wanted to continue down that line of questions. He knew there was something at the end of that tunnel. 

 

“You act like you know me when I can tell you, you know nothing about me.”

 

“Please, I’m a vampire, not Jon Snow or something. You’re far from hard to read.” 

 

Jace raised an eyebrow at him, contesting. “I don’t understand half of what comes out of your mouth, but I’m more observant than you give me credit for. I probably know more about you than you do.”

 

“Alright, twenty questions, here we go!” 

 

“Twenty questions?”

 

“Wow, you shadowhunters really know  _ nothing  _ about the mundane world. What did you do growing up? Master brooding?” 

 

Jace shook his head with an eyeroll Alec would have been proud of. “We trained to keep you, well mundanes safe. We didn’t have the luxury of Duffy the Vampire or question games. We have a world to protect.”

 

Simon broke down laughing. “Duffy? Do you listen to anything I say? Alright, hotshot. Make me a deal: I’ll teach you important parts of mundane culture and you teach me all about the wonders of being raised in the shadow world, deal?” 

 

He’d be lying to himself if Jace said he wasn’t curious about Simon’s life as a mundane and what code of references he speaks in actually means. He’d also be lying if he said he didn’t want to understand Simon better...and maybe even have Simon understand him. 

 

Jace paused to shake his hand. He held on for a moment longer than necessary. “Careful, you make it sound like a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Your thoughts, comments, and kudos are all greatly appreciated! <3  
> Feel free to find me on tumblr: [itsragnorfell](http://itsragnorfell.tumblr.com/). I'm always accepting prompts!


	5. Are you flirting with me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is cheesy as fuck but "are you flirting with me?” and malec? some au maybe? for [ceciwrites](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ceciwrites/pseuds/ceciwrites) / [softdaddario](http://softdaddario.tumblr.com/)

Not many students actually used the library for books--they mostly just want a quiet place to study. So when it comes to actually working, most of what Alec does is collecting books for professors or ordering requested texts from other schools. He doesn't have to deal with many annoying people. 

 

Honestly, the worse part of the job was people attempting to reshelf things themselves and messing up the system. For the most part, it gives him time to get his schoolwork finished while getting paid. Not a bad deal.  

 

He wishes he'd thought those few months ago when he accepted the position he had the forethought to think about finals week. Before he worked here, he knew it was always packed and every single person on campus is a zombie barely awake enough to walk, just running on pure stress and caffeine.

 

To put it shortly, Alec's nice, relaxing job was now an even bigger source of stress. So far today he's as four separate people come up to him upset that none of the computers are available because other students are using them. He explains to each one that finals week is busy, but they are now open 24 hours every day and that if they really need a computer, there are computer lab rooms and also laptops to be checked out. Turns out, each of them had put off their final projects too long and the program they needed to make them was only on the library computers. He really wishes he could just say it's their fault and too bad, but he's working so he has to bite his tongue. 

 

Thankfully his break is coming up. He'd become friends with one of the barista's at the library's cafe over the semester, Catarina. She usually had an americano waiting for him when his break started. He feels like he'll need three of them just to get through his shift--let alone the studying for his own finals he needs to get going on. 

 

A table near the windows explodes with a yell and a loud bang. Alec whips his head around as he stands up from his chair to see who he has to yell at this time. Of course it's the basketball team. To be specific, Jace and his teammates. Before Alec can make his way around the counter to go chastise them, Jace is sending him apologetic looks while putting on of the chairs back upright. 

 

Alec rolls his eyes and turns to go back to the paper he's been trying to finish the conclusion on for the past hour. He wants it done before his break so he can prep for his Early American Lit exam on Thursday. He tries not to snap when someone knocks on the counter in front of him. 

 

He takes in a deep breath, saves his document, and puts on his can-I-help-you face. 

 

"No need to fake the happy employee face to me," the person before him says. 

 

Alec recognizes who it is from the first few words and confirms it as he reaches the man's eyes: Magnus Bane, star student and the party prince of the whole university. They've never really spoken before. The classes of design majors and english majors don't overlap all that much. Nor did Magnus' group with the basketball team, though Alec did know quite a bit about him--besides that he's beautiful, intelligent, and currently waiting for Alec to say something. 

 

"Oh, uh, hi," he fumbles, "is there any way I can help you?" 

 

Magnus smiles at him and taps something on the counter. "Cat had me bring this over. Said you looked like you needed it a little early today."

 

Alec looks past him to see Catarina busy at the register with a long line of students needed their coffee fixes. She looks pretty frazzled, though if you didn't know her, you probably couldn't tell. 

 

"Uh, thanks," Alec says quickly and leans forward to grab the cup, but Magnus inches it down the counter and leans forward. 

 

"She said you can pay once you're on break. Oddly enough, she sounded a lot like you're both pretty friendly yet I know nothing about you," Magnus says. He settles his chin on the back of his hands against the counter, making him eye level with Alec. "As one of her best friends, I'm just confused as to how this is the first time I'm hearing about you."

 

From this lack of distance, Alec can make out the little flecks of eyeshadow that have fallen from Magnus' lids onto his cheeks. It looks like dusted sunlight whose only purpose is accentuating his smile. 

 

"We've just had the opportunity to talk a lot since I started. What else would we do on our breaks?" Alec explains, much to his own surprise. He doesn't owe Magnus anything, but he feels like he wants to offer and keep him there for a few moments longer. "With you being one of her best friends, I'm surprised she never talks about you."

 

"Fair point. I'm glad I can make my own introduction though, instead of you getting a first impression about me from someone else," Magnus says with a contemplative head tilt.

 

"You're know well enough to not need an introduction," Alec says before he thinks to stop himself. He hopes willing his essay to reach out from the monitor and eat him doesn't show on his face.

 

“Do I now?” Magnus asked with a smirk. “And what exactly is  _ known _ about me?”

 

Alec feels the creep of heat going up his neck. He rubs at it and avoids Magnus’ gaze while he tries to come up with a way out of this hole he’s dug himself. There’s another crash from Jace’s table, saving Alec from answering Magnus’ question. 

 

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment,” Alec says in a relieved sigh. The sound of Magnus’ small laugh jolts into Alec’s stomach with a flutter. 

 

“You may be saved for now, but I expect an answer, Alexander,”Magnus trails off.

 

“I-I thought you hadn’t heard of me?” 

 

“You’re an English Major, right? I’m sure you can read between the line.” 

 

“Are you flirting with me?” Alec asks in a whisper. 

 

Magnus winks. “You best go deal with those rowdy students, Alexander.” He walks back over to the cafe with a smile thrown over his shoulder at Alec. 

 

Alec picks up his cup when the butterflies in his gut settle. He takes a swig, sets his shoulders, and goes give Jace a talking to. When he gets to their table, he wishes he could be surprised by what he finds. 

 

Jace has his laptop open on the table opened to Facebook. His chair is tipped upside again and his papers are all over the floor. Raj has headphones in, trying to look inconspicuous and innocent, but Alec knew better from how Raphael was smirking into his travel mug. Simon somehow made a study setup under the table since there aren't’ any empty spaces on the table. 

 

“Guys, do I have to say it?” Alec sighs. 

 

“Aaaaaalec!” Jace draws out in an affectionate greeting. “My brother, my pal, I didn’t know you were so close with Bane.”

 

Alec’s face falls. He looks back over at the cafe to see Magnus leaning on the counter, talking to Catarina as she puts the milk away, but his eyes are on Alec. Alec ducks his head when Magnus waves his fingers at him. 

 

“I’m not. Catarina just asked--No. Jace, keep it quiet over here before I have to kick you out. Trust me, there are 30 people that would gladly have this table instead,” Alec says sternly, accentuating his point by brandishing his coffee cup. 

 

“Don’t worry, Alec. We’ll keep him in line,” Raj says as he takes out an earbud. “Careful though. Don’t wanna be giving everyone Bane’s number.”

 

“What are you--?” Alec turns the cup in his hands to see part of a phone number sticking out from under the sleeve. He turns on his heel as the blush reaches his cheeks and attempts to ignore the laughter in his wake. 

  
Back at his station, he slides the sleeve down to read Magnus’ message:  _ coffee’s on me--text me if you feel like joining me for another.  _ At least he knows how he’ll be spending his break. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know what you think in the comments [and kudos are greatly appreciate]. I'm always accepting prompts over on tumblr: [itsragnorfell](http://itsragnorfell.tumblr.com/)


	6. malec + workout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you make a fic of malec working out together. It could be sexy and sweaty and hot. Up to you ;) for altupia on tumblr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you ceci for helping me with this one <3

“Come on. You’re halfway there,” Magnus says after Alec flops back on the floor after his second set of fifty sit ups. 

“Would you still love me if I just gave up? Who needs to be in shape? I’m an...” he pauses to catch his breath, “an archer. I’m range. I...I don’t need to have abs to do that.” 

Magnus laughs. “Of course I’d still love you. I’d love you if you were a bodybuilder or pudgy or as big as you wanted to be, but unfortunately, your  _ career  _ of demon hunting means if you weren’t in shape I wouldn’t have very long to love you before a shax demon got you or something. I’d prefer you were alive and unpoisoned.”

“Even after I invited my mother to our group dinner next week?” Alec jokes. 

Magnus just rolls his eyes and positions himself to hold Alec’s feet down again. “Come on, now. Up! Can’t stop halfway.”

“What’ll you give me if I keep going?”

“Sit up and find out.” 

Alec quickly puts his hands in position again and slowly lifts himself up by his ab muscles to meet Magnus’ face above his knees. Once he gets there, Magnus leans forward an inch or so to press their lips together. Alec smiles against them before slowly going back down to the floor. 

“One,” Magnus counts off. “Now, when you get back up to fifty, there could be a lot more waiting for you than just kisses.”

“Is that so?” Alec asks before he pulls himself up for another kiss. “I thought we already did cardio.”

“Two. Think of it as our cooldown cardio.”

“You think that we--” Alec cuts off to kiss Magnus a little longer and slower than the first few times. “We’ll go easy enough on each other for it to be a cool down?”

Magnus shakes his head at him and pushes at his shoulder for him to go back down to the floor. “Three! At this rate, it might be midnight by the time you’re down with this measly little set. I know you have to be up early, so maybe I’ll just have to…” Alec kisses him a little faster this time with just a peck, “ _ cool down _ all by myself. Four.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know what you think in the comments [and kudos are greatly appreciate]. I'm always accepting prompts over on tumblr: [itsragnorfell](http://itsragnorfell.tumblr.com/)


	7. lucelyn meet cute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jocelyn is attending Clary's first art show when she meets Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted [here](http://achilleanragnor.tumblr.com/post/161097430243/jocelyn-wanted-everything-to-go-smoothly-for-the) for the [shadowhuntersaumondays](http://shadowhuntersaumondays.tumblr.com/) prompt: professions au.

Jocelyn wanted everything to go smoothly for the opening night of Clary’s exhibit in her friend Dot’s gallery. She’d been through everything the art world could throw at her by this point in her career, but her daughter was just starting out. Art critics could tear your heart from your chest with a few choice words, but could also sing you such high praises they set you up to fall harder than Icarus. Each night that led up to this one, Jocelyn couldn’t sleep from her worry and wishing she could protect Clary from the possible disappointment. 

Dot kept reminding her that Clary worked hard to get this show and Dot giving it to her wasn’t just because they were basically family–Dot adored Clary’s art and knew the whole city needed to see it, and if she could help make that happen and also benefit from it, why not? 

An hour into the show, Jocelyn’s nerves had died down some. Clary’s friends Simon and Maureen were there and talking up the stories behind the pieces to all the people while Clary was making her first sale off to the side. At Jocelyn’s first show, she didn’t make a sale. Hell, her first _real sale_ had been at her fifth show, so she was ecstatic that Clary was getting this.  

“She really has an astounding perspective, doesn’t she?” someone said behind her. 

She stepped off to the side so they could properly see the portrait without a Jocelyn-sized obstruction. When she turned to face whomever spoke, she smiled for the first time that night. The man was tall, out together, and clearly muscled. Although he was examining the painting, his laugh lines were still visible, as was his heart-stopping smile. 

“Clary does have quite the eye,” Jocelyn said with a nod to the artwork. “It took her over a week just to decide which tones she wanted for this one.”

“You must be her mom,” the man put together. 

“Was it the hair or the knowledge that blew my cover?” she joked.

He turned to her and smirked. “I’d say your pride in her work while also sounding a mixture of annoyed and fond.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Wow, you could be a detective with those sleuthing skills.”

“Guess I picked the right career then. I’m Luke, by the way.” He extended his hand to her with the warmest expression Jocelyn had ever seen during a first meeting. 

“Jocelyn,” she said and shook his hand.

“What is it you do beside raise an up-and-coming artist?”

“Now, Detective, shouldn’t you be able to deduce that one for yourself?”


	8. Locked Out - malec

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec is ready to kill Jace when he gets locked out of their dorm room in just his towel, but his angry is put out when he meets his new neighbors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted [here](http://achilleanragnor.tumblr.com/post/160602062483/locked-out) for the [shadowhuntersaumonday](http://shadowhuntersaumondays.tumblr.com/) prompt: neighbors au.

Alec was ready to kill Jace. He knew rooming with him this year was a bad idea. Izzy had told him everything would be fine–that they would both save on their tuition and they wouldn’t have any problems, but now here he was standing outside of his room during the first damn week of classes in his towel with no key in sight and the door locked to their room. Before Alec left to take a quick shower he told Jace not to lock it because he’d be right back, but no. Apparently Jace was too distracted by Tinder or his basketball buddies or something to remember one simple little request. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if it weren’t for the fact that Alec’s phone was also locked away in their room sitting on his nightstand charging.

Alec’s only hope is to knock on his neighbor’s door and hope they won’t be an asshole about this. He hasn’t met them yet, but he knows they laugh a little too loudly sometimes when he’s trying to get to sleep (which he really can’t knock them for since everyone has told him time and time again that ten is not a proper bedtime for college).

He set down his shower caddy in front of his own door and braced himself to knock. There were worse ways to meet your new neighbors than naked, right? Before he could make the decision to knock, the stairwell door opened. Alec knew better than to hope it was Jace. His luck was far from good today.

Two guys stopped right where they stood when they spotted Alec, dripping wet in just a towel with a slow blush creeping up his neck, right in front of their door. Alec opened his mouth, but couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say. His brain was too preoccupied giving one of the guys full elevators eyes from his interesting sandals all the way up his bright pants to his barely buttoned shirt up to meet smoldering brown eyes that Alec was sure he was mistaken thinking they were looking at him with the same feeling he was getting looking back: slightly turned on and fully intrigued.

“Please tell me I can help you,” he said after Alec finally blinked.

“Oh, well my roommate locked me out while I was showering and now I’m kinda trapped without my keys or my phone and I was hoping–” Alec rambled on, not sure how to make himself sound like anything, but a dumbass.

“Hoping for some neighborly assistance?” The other guy joined in. The really overly stunning guy elbowed his roommate.

“Didn’t you need to meet up with Cat in the library?” he asked, failing miserably at sounding casual and not like he was getting his roommate to scram. Alec tried not to smirk. The roommate rolled his eyes.

“Oh! Of course! Silly me. Why didn’t I remember that little tidbit when we were just in the damn library,” he faux-acted as he backed down the hall to the stairs where he came from. “I’ll be sure to see you at some point later, Mags. Oh, and nice to meet you…”

“Alec.”

“Ah, nice to meet you, Alec,” he corrected with an outlandish wink at “Mags” which did make Alec laugh. “I’m Ragnor, by the way. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other, well, hopefully a little less of you,” he finished with a motion at Alec’s state of undress. Alec clung harder onto his towel and gave an awkward wave as he disappeared down the stairs.

“Is that short for something?” this “Mags” asked when he took his lanyard out of his pocket to open his door.

“Alexander, but only my parents call me that. Is Mags–”

“Oh god. Only Ragnor calls me that. Please, call me Magnus.”

The door creaked open and Alec muttered under his breath, “I’ll call you whatever you like,” before he could stop himself.

Magnus dropped his bag just inside the door and walked in, leaving his door wide open.

“Care to come in? Or would you rather have the whole floor see you slick and blushing?”

Alec didn’t know how to respond to that besides hang his mouth open and shake his head. Within seconds he was in Magnus and Ragnor’s room with the door shut behind him.

“You can borrow some of my workout clothes, but the shirt might be a little big on you,” Magnus said with his back to Alec. He was bent over at the waist, rifling through his dresser.

“Uh, that would be–thank you…”

Magnus threw the clothes at Alec when he turned around. He turned back just as quickly, clearly giving Alec some semblance of privacy to get dressed. Alec inspected the clothes: joggers and a soft, long sleeve shirt. His towel dropped to the floor with a damp, muffled fwomp.

“Yeah, it’s a little big, but I really appreciate it.”

Magnus turned to find Alec standing next to his towel with his joggers hanging a little low and Alec’s hands half covered by the sleeves. He was toying with the hem and looking back at Magnus with a sincere smile.

“Guess we should get ahold of your roommate or the RA or someone so you can go about your day,” Magnus said more to himself than anything while he pulled his phone out.

“I’m in no rush–if you aren’t busy or anything.”


	9. Cruiseship Fake Relationship + lucelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lucelyn + "we’re both in solo cabins on a cruise ship, only we’re too embarrassed to admit to all these people that we’re travelling alone, so we keep telling everyone we’re together (we’re not, but i wish we were)" (this isn't charley btw)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted [here](http://achilleanragnor.tumblr.com/post/159921892453/lucelyn-were-both-in-solo-cabins-on-a-cruise).

Jocelyn felt bile rise in her throat the longer this couple kept speaking. He was talking as if he didn’t even want to be spending a vacation with his wife–like he’d rather be far away from her. She never understood the mindset she’d seen so many people have that you aren’t supposed to enjoy spending time with your spouse. Of course, she didn’t understand a lot of what so many deemed ‘normal’ in a marriage, hence why she was on this cruise as her divorce present to herself.

“I can’t believe some people actually came on this cruise alone,” the woman with a hat three times the size of her head that Jocelyn was just having such a pleasant conversation with said with a sneer towards a woman at the pool’s bar. “Like didn’t she see all the couples on the brochure?”

“Maybe she just wanted to enjoy Alaska without being tied to someone else,” the attractive man in the lounge chair next to Jocelyn chimed in.

“Exactly. Good for her! Getting away on her own, taking some time for herself, or whatever it is she’s doing. That’s a hard choice, but so worth it,” Jocelyn said. She was so happy the man jumped in on her side. He was pretty hot and it was only their first day out on the ship. She didn’t want to make anything awkward already.

“You’re just agreeing so you don’t get put in the dog house,” the woman with the ridiculous hat’s husband said when he came back with their drinks from the bar. “Bad idea to get on your wife’s bad side on the first day. Take it from someone who’s been on a few of these cruises before, wait until the third to last day. The second to last always has the best views and she’ll forget all about whatever it was that upset her with a little wine and the views. Rose petals don’t hurt either.”

“Sorry, man, but I actually enjoy my wife and her company. I also don’t try to manipulate her,” the seemingly more attractive by the second man next to Jocelyn said, motioning to her. “If you don’t mind us, we have more important things to do than serve as a backboard for your bitterness.”

The man stood up and offered a hand to Jocelyn to help her up. 

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, honey,” Jocelyn played along. She took his hand and held it as they walked away from the gaping couple and over to the railing. 

“Sorry about that. I got the impression you liked them about as much as I did,” he said. “I’m Luke, by the way.”

“I’m Jocelyn,” she said with an honest smile, “and there’s no need to apologize. I wholeheartedly agree.” 


	10. something trivial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [mel-iorn](http://mel-iorn.tumblr.com/) asked:  
>  v vague ragnor prompt! i was thinking an intoxicated/sleep drunk ragnor adamantly arguing with someone (like magnus) bout something trivial!

“When are you going to stop arguing with me about this?” Magnus asked in a huff. He threw himself down on the couch and threw a hand over his face without spilling the cocktail he was holding in the other one. 

“When you realize you’re clearly in the wrong here!” Ragnor said a little too loudly, the alcohol clearly starting to go to his head. “We saw it together how many times before that dreadful editing that I will remind you undermined the film as the art it is?” He huffed. 

Magnus let Ragnor go off about how George Lucas was the worst thing to ever happen to the  _ Star Wars _ franchise. He smiled at his best friend over the rim of his glass while Ragnor traipsed about the room with enormous gestures that nearly every time let a drop or two of his beverage cascade down the side of his glass. Magnus only ever saw Ragnor get this excited about something around every ten years, so he sat back to enjoy the show, and bask in the light of seeing Ragnor so vibrantly existing for once. 

“No matter what you say, I’ll still always prefer  _ Star Trek  _ to  _ Star Wars _ ,” he butted in when Ragnor started talking himself in circles. “Yes, yes. Before you even start again, we did go see them together and they were great, but I still prefer the universe  _ Star Trek  _ made. The Force is amazing, but I want to see the science, I want to see the evolution of humanity! As one immortal to another, how can you not see how grand it is?” 

This wasn’t the first time they’ve had this disagreement, and Magnus had the feeling it was far from the last. They got along so well as friends because they were such different people. Magnus has always loved people whereas Ragnor prefers to almost entirely keep to himself. 

“As one immortal to another, my dear, dear friend, I would hope you’d have learned by now to appreciate the beauty of universes unconnected to ours within fiction...and I suppose in reality if you want to get into philosophy and science talk again. We both know how poorly that turns out between us,” Ragnor slurred out in slow, languid sentences. 

When he made eye contact with Magnus, they simultaneously burst into laughter, doubling over with care to set their drinks down first. 


	11. malec's first holiday season together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> malec's first christmas/holiday season together requested by [magnusragnor](http://magnusragnor.tumblr.com/)

Alec didn’t really understand why he was at Magnus’ apartment with everyone on December 14th with a neatly wrapped package under his arm and another tucked safely away in his jeans. Clary and Simon had explained all about their annual “Christmakah” parties, but none of it had made any sense to him. He knows mundanes have many different holidays--some seemingly pointless, yet still regularly celebrated--but he was sure there was only one Christmas which was less than a fortnight away. He’d stopped complaining about how dumb this seems to him when Isabelle took him aside and reminded him that “fun can be in your vocabulary if you stop fighting it all the time.”

Inside the apartment, Luke was helping Magnus set a long, cherry table with ornate carvings up the legs and along the sides that Alec hasn’t ever seen before. He hears chattering coming from in the kitchen.

“Alexander,” Magnus says when he looks up from a placemat with his tone soaked in warmth. He pushes in a chair and straightens it before he walks over to Alec and greets him with a peck on the lips followed by one on his cheek.

“Hey, Magnus,” Alec says in a mimicked tone. All his annoyance and slight confusion about this event left his mind as he ran his thumb over Magnus’ cheekbone, cupping his face to bring him in for a more proper kiss.

Dinner goes by quickly without any major instances probably due to Alec’s mouth being too busy eating to let his sarcastic jibes out of his head. He lets himself relax enough to enjoy spending time with Magnus, Jace, Isabelle, Luke, Simon, and Clary outside of the realms of danger and evil. He evens listens long enough to Simon’s explanation of the empty seat at the head of the table and the plate of food near it that no one was eating off of.

“Alright! You kids clean the table and Magnus and I will set up the gifts,” Luke said after everyone finished eating and were socializing instead.

Clary made to pout, but Luke wags a finger at her. It doesn’t take all of them long to remove their plates and wash the dishes in a long assembly line of cleaning. Jace takes the opportunity to splash Alec with water as he’s trying to dry a dish. Instead of stopping them, Isabelle blows soap bubbles at her brothers. They’re all laughing and a little wet when Magnus calls out.

“Everything okay in there?”

“Fine!” the three of them yell in unison.

When they come out of the kitchen, the table is mostly clear. Clary is watching Simon while he holds out a dradle. She squints at him, snatches it, and tries to spin it, but it ends up flopping over on its side within a second of starting. Simon laughs and nudges her with an elbow. She returns the nudge before they go back to how it’s actually supposed to work.

Luke beacons them over to the tree where he’s piling poorly wrapped gifts. “So, Magnus tells me you guys have never done White Elephant gifts before? Don’t worry, I’ll explain it.”

Alec listens intently while Luke explains the process of picking gifts and snatching them from other people. Isabelle looks determined to sabotage someone, thought Luke reminds her it’s all in the luck of the draw.

Clary and Simon come in to join them, sitting beside the over-sized conifer taking up an entire corner of Magnus’ living room. Magnus stands and greets them all.

“Let’s get this party started!” He snaps his fingers and a name appears in front of them, writing in floating sparkles in the air.

“Alright, looks like I’m first,” Jace says, standing a little uneasily.

In the end, Isabelle manages to sabotage Luke for a stuffed toy of the herpes germ, Alec ends up with light up reindeer antlers on his head, Simon is wearing the ugliest sweater any of them have ever seen, Magnus is playing with magnetic putty, Clary is weaving the scarf patterned with poop emojis into Isabelle’s hair, Jace is reading out bad pickup lines from his new book, and Luke is looking in horror at his Kidz Bop CD. The whole night is filled with laughter, storytelling, and a little too much wine.

By the time Alec and Magnus are cleaning up the mass of crumpled tissue and wrapping paper, everyone is ready to sleep. They bid everyone goodnight. Isabelle raises her eyebrows at Alec staying the night, but doesn’t say a word. When they close the door behind everyone, Magnus lets out an easy sigh.

“Have a good night?” Alec asks.

Magnus nods, putting an arm around Alec’s waist as they walk together back into the main area of the apartment.

“What about you? Good first holiday with all of us?”

Alec bends down to kiss him lightly, lingering a second longer to kiss the tip of his nose. “Pretty good, but I can think of one way to make our first holiday together even better.”

They race each other to Magnus’ bedroom laughing all the while. Alec doesn’t realize he never took off those antlers until he tries to snuggle up with Magnus after they’ve tired each other laugh and his boyfriend can’t stop giggling to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! pls lemme know what you think <3
> 
> find me on tumblr: [peachstiles](http://peachstiles.tumblr.com/)


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